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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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FIJI: Marijuana farmer jailed for five years
Fiji Times
Thursday 12 Jan 2006 A VILLAGER who told the court that planting and selling marijuana was more profitable than traditional crops, was yesterday sentenced to five years in jail. Peniasi Koigole, 23, of Navaga Village in Ba, told magistrate Syed Mukhtar Shah at the Nadi court that he started planting marijuana because it took a short time to mature while crops such as cassava needed more work and time before profit started to roll in. Koigole appeared before Mr Shah charged with one count of possession of illicit drugs and cultivation of illicit drugs. Police prosecutor Sergeant Levi Vurabere said officers at Mulomulo Police Post received a tip-off on January 6 that drugs was being transported to Nadi. Sgt Vurabere said the caller had told them that a carrier was transporting the drugs and officers set up a checkpoint at the post. He said when the suspect arrived at the checkpoint officers searched the vehicle and found a sack containing 2.9 kilograms of dried leaves which were later found to be marijuana. He said Koigole was taken into custody and after two days of interrogation, confessed that he was cultivating the illegal drugs. Two days later, officers from Nadi accompanied Koigole to his village where they uprooted 112 mature plants. Koigole pleaded for leniency, saying that it was his first offence and would reform if given another chance. However, Mr Shah said even though it was a first offence, the charges were serious. Mr Shah said Koigole deserved a custodial sentence because he was found in possession of a substantial amount of drugs. He Shah sentenced Koigole to five years for the first count of possession and two years for cultivation of an illicit drug. He ordered that both terms be served concurrently. Meanwhile, two youths including a 15-year-old boy yesterday pleaded guilty to being in possession of four kilograms of marijuana. Josateki Ralulu, 18, of Nubuyanitu Village in Navosa and a 15-year-old boy of the same village pleaded guilty to possession when they appeared before Mr Shah in the Nadi court yesterday. Sgt Vurabere said a team of officers on their way to another raid arrested the two youths after they noticed them acting suspiciously. He said the officers were taking a suspect to Navaga in Magodro when they passed a farmhouse belonging to Ralulu. He said the officers felt suspicious when they saw the two boys inside so they decided to stop and check the place. Sgt Vurabere said when the officers raided the farmhouse, they found the two in possession of four kilograms of dried leaves. Samples were sent to Koronivia Research Station and later confirmed to be marijuana. After they pleaded guilty, Sgt Vurabere asked the court for an adjournment so they could collect more evidence. Mr Shah remanded them and adjourned their case to January 20 for sentencing. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=35163#top
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